‘Cold War Choir Practice’ Mixes Musical Comedy, Thriller Vibes

Playwright Ro Reddick sets the story during the 1980s, when the cold war between the United States and Russia was still a problem. The fear of nuclear annihilation was very much a reality. 

A young girl named Meek (Lucia Aremu) asks to receive a Speak and Spell and a nuclear radiation detector for Christmas. 

Meek, good-natured and precocious, also joins a choir of women, known as The Seedlings for Peace.

Meanwhile, Clay (Taavon Gamble), who works as a National Security advisor for the Reagan administration, pays a visit to his brother Smooch (Mathieu Myrick) and his mother (Jackie Davis). Clay has a briefcase containing sensitive documents. 

Clay’s glamorous wife Virgie (Rebecca Gibel) has been dealing with a mysterious illness which requires her to drink vast quantities of water. This leads to some funny reactions from the family.

It turns out Virgie has been involved in some bizarre cult operating in Washington, D.C. One night, a woman dressed in black, pays a visit to the family’s roller rink. She is looking for Clay’s briefcase.

Meek starts a correspondence with a Russian pen pal and is sent a Speak and Spell as a gift. Oddly, the toy only speaks in Russian. Meek is given the chance to move with her family to Russia, as long as she gives up something in return.

Director Aileen Wen McGroddy has a sharp sense of pacing. There are numerous singing performances from the choir, a bizarre fight between Clay and Smooch as they glide across the floor on swivel chairs, and a surreal moment when Meek is being enticed into betraying her country by her “pen pal.” 

Characters frequently watch snippets of television shows from the era, including “20/20”, which explains the upcoming summit between Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The images are projected on a screen above the stage.

The “cold war” finally ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. There’s a satirical song referring to Reagan’s famous plea to Gorbachev – “tear down this wall.”

There is some terrific acting in this production. Davis, who previously appeared in “Fences” and “The Inferior Sex”, is a master at delivering dialogue with a tinge of acidity. 

Gamble, most recently seen in “Blues for An Alabama Sky,” turns in another strong performance as the headstrong black conservative. Clay is unapologetic about his beliefs and the way he lives his life. 

Aremu, a relative newcomer to the stage, is always captivating to watch as Meek’s loyalties to her family and her country are tested in surprising ways.

Reddick’s dialogue is often witty but “Cold War Choir Practice” feels a bit overstuffed with plot. 

I would have liked to have known more about the weird cult Virgie got mixed up in. What drew her to those people and why did Clay allow it? We never get an explanation.

There are individual scenes which work quite well, including a chat between the two brothers. Smooch explains to Clay that the government doesn’t do anything for black people, which is why he started his own business – a roller rink. That message of self-empowerment is appealing, but what does that have to with Russia and nuclear war?

Davis and Gibel find themselves tied to each other at one point, which leads to some amusing physical comedy. At the same time, they need to dispose of a ticking time bomb. No spoilers here. 

Overall, I liked “Cold War Choir Practice.” It’s flawed but entertaining.

Cold War Choir Practice runs through October 5 at Trinity Repertory Company. 201 Washington St., Providence. Run time is 1 hour, 45 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, call 401-351-4242 or visit trinityrep.com.

Author: Joe Siegel

Joe Siegel is a regular contributing writer for WarwickPost.com. His reporting has appeared in The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro and EDGE.